Gripla - 01.01.2002, Qupperneq 116

114
GRIPLA
translation by himself and Hermann Pálsson. Countless changes have been
made in the direction of the principles advocated in this paper, strengthening
my conviction that fashions in translation, like fashions in ties or shoes,
change with the times.
2. Limited vocabulary
According to the Concordance to the Family Sagas, the total number of words
in Njáls saga is 98,938 (not counting proper nouns); the number of lexemes in
the saga is 3,135.15 While the proportion of lexemes to vocabulary is above the
average for the family sagas, it is remarkably low for sophisticated literature.
Verbal sparsity, the frequent repetition of a comparatively small number of
words — whether derived from or imitative of oral style — is a feature of
saga style that the translator should respect.
Speeches, for example, are introduced by segja, mæla, svara, spyrja and
occasionally ræða — and no other words. The translation should accordingly
limit itself to “say,” “speak,” “answer,” “ask,” “talk” and “discuss,” and not
introduce many of the other words available in English for introducing speech,
like “retort,” “reply,” “claim,” “assert,” “respond,” “declare” and so forth.16
The modem reader may find that the verb segja is over-worked, and he may
find it strange to see it used both for questions and for statements, but such is
the style of the saga:
Þangbrandr þagði, meðan hon talaði, en talaði lengi eptir ok sneri því
qIIu, er hon hafði mælt, í villu. “Hefir þú heyrt þat,” sagði hon, “er
Þórr bauð Kristi á hólm, ok treystisk hann eigi at berjask við Þór?”
“Heyrt hefi ek þat,” segir Þangbrandr, “at Þórr væri ekki nema mold
ok aska, þegar guð vildi eigi, at hann lifði.” “Veiztú,” segir hon, “hverr
brotit hefir skip þitt?” “Hvat segir þú til?” segir hann. “Þat mun ek
segja þér,” segir hon. (102.265)17
15 Handbook to íslendinga sögur. Orðstöðulykill og texti (Reykjavík: Mál og menning, 1996):
19.
16 See Maxwell, 390: “if the text says segir there is no need to make it ‘retorted’ even if this
word aptly characterizes the speech; for better or worse, saga-writers generally prefer to avoid
this comment — and so distinguish themselves from the authors of novelettes”.
17 References are by chapter and page to Brennu-Njáls saga, ed. by Einar Ól. Sveinsson, íslenzk
fomrit 12 (Reykjavík: Hið (slenzka fomritafélag, 1954).